After the feat against Stan Wawrinka at Roland Garros in 2020 which allowed him to reach the knockout stages of the Major on clay and to make a name for himself, Hugo Gaston achieves a new performance by beating, Wednesday, November 3, in the second round of the Masters 1000 in Paris, the Spaniard Pablo Carreno Busta (17e) 6-7 (3/7), 6-4, 7-5.
The 21-year-old from Toulouse, more used to Challengers tournaments than to major ATP tournaments, beats the player ranked 17 for the second timee global. Hugo Gaston, 103e world and qualifying, recited his creative game.
“I don’t have much to lose, I have to play my game so as not to have any regrets at the end of the game. I managed to do it, I was very solid in the important moments, and I made a very good last game. It’s cool to be able to make one more match here ”, he commented. Not only did he hold the rally, but he also knew how to distill some of his hits in touchdown, and in particular the cushionings, which made his fame and his strength.
But even if he enjoys a “Very good performance”, Gaston refuses to compare it to that of Roland-Garros, because they are “Other conditions” and “Not the same surface”. But he too, who was beyond the 200e place at ATP a year ago, has evolved: “I’ve improved in the standings, so I know I’m in my place, I know I’m playing really well. “
Sinner or Alacaraz on the next round
Matches at Bercy, he already has four on the clock this year since he went through the two qualifying rounds. And each of his four games was decided in the third set. And in his last three, he was led by a set and a break. With discomfort in the lower back which again required a little treatment on the court against Carreno in the middle of the first set, fatigue is increasingly difficult to manage.
” It is not easy [l’enchaînement des matchs], I’m still young, but it’s starting to pull, it’s thanks to your support that I was able to do this today ”, he, moreover, launched to the public before leaving the court. However, he will need a maximum of strength Thursday to try to reach the quarter-finals: the player with the small template (1.73 m for 68 kg) will face a rising value of the circuit, the Spaniard Carlos Alcaraz (35e, 18 years old, 1.85 m, 72 kg).
This new big performance is all the more valuable as it was carried out under the encouragement of the President of the French Federation, Gilles Moretton, but above all under the eyes of the captain of the France team, Sébastien Grosjean. However, he must find a replacement for the Davis Cup (November 25-December 5) to Ugo Humbert who forfeited. A possibility that Gaston refuses, for the moment, to consider, because he considers that there is “Other players in front” him to claim this place.
“If they call on me, I’ll be there. But, for the moment, it is not at all in my head, in any case, I do not think about it “, he assured by recognizing that a selection would be “Enormous pride”. He is considering, however, his next “Beautiful deadline” : the NextGen Masters which brings together from November 9 to 13 in Milan the best players under 22 of the past year.
